If – fingers crossed! – all goes as planned, the Patriots will host the Broncos Sunday at 1 p.m. at Gillette Stadium.
It’s the game that was originally penciled in for last Sunday evening that had to be rescheduled when New England’s fourth player – defensive lineman Byron Cowart – had to be placed on COVID-19 reserve amid vocal concerns from Patriots captain Jason McCourty regarding the way the NFL and NFLPA were handling an ongoing mini coronavirus outbreak in Foxborough.
Pushing the game back just seven days may seem like a minor adjustment, and in some ways it was. But, beyond New England and Denver utilizing this past weekend as their impromptu bye, the schedule adjustment could also have some pretty impactful effects on this mid-October AFC matchup.
Here are some of the ways that Sunday’s meeting between Bill Belichick’s Patriots and Vic Fangio’s Broncos will differ from the originally scheduled matchup.
Cam Newton may be under center for the Patriots – While there was a chance that Newton might have been available last Sunday as he worked his way back from a positive COVID-19 test, the extra week certainly makes it far more likely that New England’s star quarterback will be under center against Denver. Given the NFL’s updated rules for return, asymptomatic players are eligible 10 days after testing positive. While Belichick would not comment on where Newton is in the return process – which includes evaluations and approval from both team and league medical personnel – chances are far greater that the Broncos will have to deal with the versatile quarterback on Sunday.
Stephon Gilmore could also be in the lineup – Though his timetable is behind Newton’s, the star cornerback Gilmore could also surpass the 10-day window for asymptomatic return. While the reigning Defensive Player of the Year hasn’t played as well to open 2020 as he did a year ago, there is little doubt regarding his value to the New England defense. Possibly getting Gilmore on the field for a game that he previously would have definitively missed is another big boon for Belichick’s team.
Drew Lock becomes more an option for Denver – New England wasn’t the only team that may have fielded a backup if this matchup had been played last Sunday. Denver had to turn to its backups with its second-year starter Lock battling a right shoulder injury in recent weeks. Lock practiced on a limited basis last week and was listed as questionable for the originally scheduled matchup. His chances to play the Patriots have increased given the extra preparation and rehab time. Getting Lock back may not be as dramatic an upgrade at quarterback as Newton is for New England, but he’s still the team’s preferred passer at this point. In fact, one headline out of Denver indicated that if the delay for this game got Lock back on the field for the Broncos then it was all worth it.
The more you can do – While the Patriots are not scheduled to practice on Wednesday, rather just using the day for workouts, the extra preparation time afforded both teams has to increase what they might throw at each other. Last week the Patriots didn’t get on the field until Saturday, basically heading into a game with a bunch of virtual meetings and one light, masked-up practice. Now, though, there is extended game plan time, increased opportunity to get on the practice field later in the week and more opportunity for Belichick to work his magic. While Mike Vrabel and the Titans proved on a rare Tuesday night game that you can perform at a high level with limited practice time and less-than-ideal preparation, the Patriots – and Broncos – have now had two weeks to come up with winning plans of attack.
Healthier by the day – Belichick has taken a “day by day, hour by hour” approach to his team’s dealing with schedule/personnel changes amid positive COVID-19 tests. The same, though, could be true for a number of key New England starters dealing with injuries. Julian Edelman (knee), Shaq Mason (calf) and Isaiah Wynn (calf) all were limited in practice last week and listed as questionable on the injury report. Mason missed New England’s loss in K.C., leaving the team with another new-look line lineup early in the year. Edelman had a tough night of drops against the Chiefs and hasn’t exactly looked like himself early this season. Wynn would be a major loss at left tackle, the only spot on the line that’s been consistent through the first month of the season. All three players obviously benefited from the week off, just how much will become more evident as the week plays out.
